Head men’s basketball coach David Balza has announced the hiring of former Palm Beach Atlantic student-athlete Lawrence Reed as the program’s assistant coach for the 2017-18 season.
Reed joins the Sailfish after spending the past four years as the lead assistant coach at Frank Phillips College under head coach Chris Hackett. During his time in Borger, Texas, Reed helped guide the Plainsmen to a 68-53 record including a 22-9 record in 2015-16. That year FPC earned a spot in the Region V for the first time in a decade. He wore many hats with the Plainsmen, overseeing recruiting, academics, strength and conditioning, scouting and coordinating travel as well as assisting with practice and skill development. He coached eight all-conference players and saw 21 student-athletes go on to play at four-year schools.
“Lawrence’s experience at Frank Phillips where he had to wear many hats will be extremely valuable here at PBA,” said Balza. “His ability to juggle different duties along with his recruiting ties will help us to continue to build a first-class program. His on-court skill work and tremendous rapport with student-athletes will be great, but what stands out the most is his character and his love for his savior Jesus Christ. I’m excited that we can bring him back to PBA and be a role model for the young men in our program on the court, in the classroom and in life.”
Reed is no stranger to PBA after playing for the Sailfish from 2005-08. He was the team’s third-leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer as a sophomore before transferring to Salem International where he led the team in field goal percentage. He went on to graduate from SIU with a bachelor’s degree in sports management before going on to earn a master’s in international business while serving as a graduate assistant at SIU.
“It is a great blessing to be back at PBA, where I saw my faith in Christ grow and where I grew as a person and a player” said Reed. “Since I began coaching I’ve always had the desire to come back to PBA, a program that I’ve kept up with over the years.”
“I have played for and coached under several coaches who all have spoken very highly of Coach Balza,” Reed continued. “The opportunity to work under and with him at the school that I fell in love with back in 2005 is a gift. Coach Balza and the team are coming off a great year and expectations are high. I believe in Balza’s vision, values and coaching style. I look forward to starting this journey and continuing their success.”
Reed is also a veteran camp coach, having directed camps around the globe. He directed camps while at Frank Phillips in addition to camps in Florida, West Virginia, South Carolina and in Germany where he grew up on a military base.
The Sailfish are coming off of the best season during their Division II era, winning 16 games and finishing above .500 for the first time since the 2004-05 season. Balza led the ‘Fish to the Sunshine State Conference tournament championship game where they fell to Rollins in the final seconds.
http://pbasailfish.com/news/2017/8/17/mens-basketball-reed-joins-balza-staff-for-2017-18.aspx
